Desert House

The Desert House, our prototype prefab home, is oriented to best capture views of San Jacinto peak and the surrounding mountains. Located on a five-acre site in Desert Hot Springs, California, the house extends through the landscape with covered outdoor living areas, which double the 2000 square-foot interior spaces. A detached carport allows the owners to “leave the car behind” as they approach their home.

Designed for managing principal Leo Marmol and his wife Alisa Becket, the Desert House employs four house modules and six deck modules. Sheltered living spaces blend the indoors with the outdoors, simultaneously extending and connecting the house to the north wing, which holds a guest house and studio space.

The home is built with prefabricated technologies in a factory. Using steel framing, 12’ wide modules can extend up to 64’ in length and use any type of cladding, including metal, wood, glass or nothing. The Desert House is built with three types of basic modules: interior modules comprising the living spaces, exterior modules defining covered outdoor living areas and sunshade modules providing protection from the sun.

While the Desert House derives all of its electrical power from solar panels, the overhangs shade the house from the harsh summer sun. In colder months, concrete floors absorb solar heat, helping to make the home sustainable.